I have a long standing love affair with paisley. It is the cornerstone of one of my favorite inspirational design companies, Etro. I remember the first time I saw an ad for Etro in a magazine. The colors were vibrant, the pattern was paisley, and I was hooked. I am also a child of the 70’s so there is that. Paisley was everywhere in the 70’s. Shirts, belts, ties, dresses, rugs, pillows, and much much more. Hippy chic was everywhere and the iconic representation of a movement. As the decade passed so did the popularity of Paisley on such a steroid level but it never really disappears. Paisley has a long history of showing up time and again in the most unexpected places. It is bohemian, yes, but it is also a basic that finds a home in nearly any design scheme imaginable. As with most decorative motifs, paisley finds roots in nature. Consequently, Paisley persists with a perennial place in design.
What Makes a Paisley Pattern?
Below is an example of a shawl in the traditional paisley pattern alongside a modern interpretation of the design.
File:Shawl, woman’s (AM 1999.64.1-3).jpg” by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Interfaith Wedding Cards MF2259” by nparekhcards is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
The teardrop shape that is recognizable in any paisley design is thought to be a representation of the “boteh”. This is the Persian word for a cluster of leaves or a shrub. The design is a combination of a floral spray and the cypress tree. The tree of life, the seed palm are depicted within the teardrop as a symbol of fertility. When tracing any motif back to it’s origins it rarely clear exactly where one style ends and another begins. The same is true of paisley. Every culture has taken the basic shape and added it’s own interpretation. Below are some of the ways that each of these cultures have contributed to the wide range of paisley patterns that exist in history and continue to be created in new and fresh ways by pattern and print artists.
Origins of the Paisley Pattern
The Boteh teardrop pattern originated in ancient Persia as far back as 1700BC and is though by many scholars to be the source of the first paisley motifs. In his BBC Series, the Silk Road, Dr. Sam Willis traces the trade routes connected the East to West and all of the blending of cultures that occurred as a result. It is possible that many of the designs we think of as ancient were happening simultaneously in these different countries. The cross cultural influences made for a bounty of artistic adaptations of the design. The pattern is known by many names. Palme in France, variations of the “botah” with bota in Netherlands, bootar in India and peizuli in Japan. It is in the Scottish town of Paisley that the name paisley was born.
The Yin and Yang symbol used in Chinese medicine and philosophy may have it’s origin in this time period.
The Celtics used paisley motifs to decorate their shields with 2 birds and feathers entwined. When the French and the British began producing their own prints paisley designs were very much a part of that with shawls, accessories, fabrics, and other carrying the motifs in new and different ways. Liberty of London, another favorite of mine, used paisley motifs in many of their designs. But it was Scotland that gave us the name Paisley, a nod to their paisley shawls that became one and the same.
Designers Who Loved Paisley
Everyone from the Beatles to the Queen embraced paisley as it made it’s way into modern culture.
Etsy Yves Saint Laurent Vintage Scarf
The designers that dressed them were innovative and found new and exciting ways to incorporate the design into their collections. The Liberty prints were a great source of inspiration for their work.
Liberty ‘paisloids’ were used extensively by some of the top designers of the era including Jean Muir, Bill Gibb, Yves Saint Laurent, Biba and Bill Blass.
Paisley the Story of a Classic Bohemian Print
What Makes Paisley So Popular?
Paisley is such a versatile pattern that it can be muted in shades of grey and black for a background pattern that works with so many other patterns and takes a serious tone . It can also take center stage and sing out loud for a playful happy vibe. It shows up with the classic teardrop shape that can take on so many details with endless design possibilities that keep it fresh and new. It can exhibit an arts and crafts feel similar to a William Morris print. It can also say vintage with a nod to the 60’s and 70’s. It can even take on a contemporary feel that is minimal and geometric.
This article from Architectural Digest featuring a ” luxe mood that stylist and interior designer Maryam Mahdavi has channelled for her wild apartment on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré.” shows the bohemian vibe to be alive and kicking with walls covered in paisley with hues of purple, blue, and acid green.
Paisley may find itself in and out of season at various times throughout history but just as the seasons return it is truly perennial and always finds it’s way back into our culture and becomes a part of the zeitgeist of the times.